Rescuers // Week 2

We've all heard that famous hymn we heard the adults sing when we were children, "on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand..." and most of the time we just mundanely sang it and went on our way but last night we unpacked what it meant for Christ to be our rock. For God to rescue us and bring us to safety on the Rock. 

A life built on God is a life that will not crumble because GOD is our FIRM FOUNDATION! Are our lives based on that firm foundation or one that will sink?

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:1-2

God wants to be personal with you. Is he YOUR personal strength? YOUR personal rock? YOUR fortress, etc? It doesn't work if He's your parents strength, your girlfriends rock, your friends deliverer. That won't get you into heaven one day.

God's love language is obedience! If we love God - we'll obey God. We may say, "I love you, Lord." but our actions say otherwise. God knows if you love Him.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:25

God as His weakest point is still stronger than us at our strength.  

Never rely on others to be your strength! You will crumble and they will get tired. People will get tired of you leaning on them.

Jesus never promised smooth sailing! 

To be RESCUED = to be DELIVERED

God is the safest place you can escape to!

My Favorite Summer Nail Polishes

It's not a secret that I live for a good Nailpolish and Summer is the best time to experiment with those crazy colors you've been eyeing since December but as of lately I've been more drawn to the more traditional colors...with a twist. These are the ones I'm loving rotating through so far this Summer!

Pale colors are easy, go with everything and every skin tone, and ahem..you can't tell when they start chipping. If I'm having a hard time deciding what color to use, I just go nude. With the nail polish, that is.

I love a bright, orang-y pink & orang-y red even though those colors tend to look better on warmer skin tones but I LOVE them anyways.

My absolute favorite color to wear right now is a good bright cool-toned pink. Again, goes with everything, and looks good on most skin tones.

If you're like me and have to cheat to achieve that warmer skin tone, this is still my go-to. I can't even count how many bottles of this stuff I've bought. I should just buy stock.

What's your favorite sunless tanner?

Pale Cashmere//Passion Fruit//Icing On The Cake//Pinkalicious//Kourt is Red-y for a Pedi

Our Weekend

Ah, Mondays. Saying "see ya" to the "fun" days and "hello" to the real world, again. Hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was packed. I laid down last night and told Husband that I was exhausted. You never really get a relaxing weekend when you're chasing around a toddler who is on the verge of sprinting. I need a weekend to recoup from my weekend! Friday, husband and I took turns going to the gym, met for lunch, then spent the late afternoon by the pool. Friday night we celebrated John's birthday, since he'll be gone on his actual birthday, by grilling out and going for ice cream. John hit the jackpot on the birthday gifts this year. If anyone wants coffee made by a Scientist, hit 'em up!

We have started something really fun called Coffee Break through our Favor Ministry. On the 3rd Saturday of every month, we gather at a person's home for coffee and breakfast. I personally am a fan because an hour that I get some girl time away from Brooklynn. Parenting 101: get some time away :)  We left and did a family Target run, grabbed lunch with John & Angie, did a quick pool trip before the storm came, and grabbed dinner with my mom since the rest of the family had other engagements!

Sunday was fun. For Father's Day, my dad and brothers took over the message. They hit the nail on a lot of heads. Lots of talk on temptation, sports, time management, and being a witness. You can read all about it here. Some of our family had lunch at my moms then we all went out to dinner. I hope whether you have a bad father, a great father, or no father, you were able to take comfort in your perfect Heavenly Father. We went to moms after dinner and hung out with John who left this morning to spend 6 weeks in ATL with GenerationSend. 

Rescuers // Week 1

It's been three LONG weeks since we took a break from Alive before kicking off for Summer but we're back finally! The students last night enjoyed free Ritas & every parking lot game you can imagine. Even some I had never heard of. And next week? ... this baby ...

So, bring your bathing suit cause you're gonna get wet!

Last night we were challenged to be a rescuer. That EVERY CHURCH SHOULD BE A SEARCH & RESCUE TEAM because WE WERE RESCUED TO BE RESCUERS aka RESCUED PEOPLE RESCUE PEOPLE.

When we realize the severity of what we've been rescued from, we should have that eagerness to rescue others. 

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”29 “Come,” he said.Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:22-31

The disciples thought Jesus was a ghost. When Jesus calls out to you, do you recognize His voice? When God asks you to do something radical, do you do it? Peter got out of the boat and started walking because Jesus TOLD HIM TO.

When Peter took His eyes off Jesus, he started to sink. Nothing good ever happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus. We will sink. 

Satan will always try to drown you -- with sin.

There's nothing more appealing than JESUS!

Peter yelled, "LORD, SAVE ME!" Those three words will change your life.

Jesus used the cross to rescue us.

Jesus IMMEDIATELY rescues us

"The gospel isn't advice on how to reach up to God. It declares that God has already reached down to us."             Darrin Patrick

Lifeguards rescue ANYBODY & EVERYBODY. They don't rescue those they like, those they have a lot in common with, those they consider a friend. They rescue those that they may not like, those that have done them wrong, those that are "different" than them. 

Jesus is the Lifeguard that is always on duty.

WE are included in God's RESCUE PLAN. He went to extreme & radical measures to rescue us. It's time we do the same for others!

Our Weekend

I hope you had a great weekend! Our weekend was a mix of work, fun, and relaxing chasing Brooklyn around everywhere. I swear, she's getting so heavy. Who needs the gym these days? Apparently me cause she wears me out! Ha! Friday we spent the afternoon at the pool and then the husband and I went out for dinner at Macaroni Grill & Ice cream at Dillard's and paid for neither thanks to a gift card leftover from Christmas and a generous ice cream gift card from a church member! By the way, thank you to those of you who have sent such sweet gifts, sweets, cards, & texts the past couple of weeks for Spouse Appreciation Month and Michael's birthday! We're super thankful for all of you! We couldn't do what we do without you!

Saturday came and we strolled around the neighborhood, per usual weekend activity, and then ran a bajillion errands, per another usual weekend activity. We leave for Florida in less than two weeks so we are slowly checking off our list of essentials to get before we leave. Little Ones require way too much stuff. Saturday night we ate dinner with my siblings and then went and had coffee and dessert at a favorite place in our downtown area.  

Sunday was the norm. Church, lunch, some meetings, dinner with the family and a late night bowling sess for Brooklynn.

Hope you all have a great week ahead!

Uses for Coconut Oil

 

I gave into the hype of Coconut Oil several months ago and can attest that the hype.is.real. This little jar aids in improving brain health (Alzheimers), infections, disease, & heart problems. It also ncreases digestion, metabolism, burns fat, increases energy, helps in the function of your thyroid, and on and on and on. According to research, populations (in the South Pacific) that eat the most Coconut are said to be the healthiest...just food for thought, literally. 

There are numerous uses for Coconut Oil - some that I use and some that I don't. I keep a jar in my bathroom and a jar in the kitchen. Should probably keep a jar in my car and a jar in my purse, too. Okay, my love is great but not that intense. Here's some of the ways that I use coconut oil.

Makeup Remover

When I have a lot of makeup on my face ... which really is hardly ever, I'll use it to remove my makeup. I always use it to remove my eye makeup because it melts everything off and moisturizes your lashes. We moisturize our hair, face, and body but often neglect our lashes -- enter CO.

Hair Mask
I have very dry hair. I get highlights in my hair about four times during the year but because my hair is naturally on the dry side, I need a little help from CO. Since I'm impatient and time between a beauty routine and a toddler is not evenly split, I can't afford to leave a mask on my hair for hours on end SO I'll jump in the shower, shampoo my hair, put the CO through the ends of my hair, place it in a bun, and let sit for 5 or so minutes. Soft, shiny, and DETANGLED. Have I mentioned I have knots in my hair that Navy Seals couldn't get out? *Because CO is a solid, let the jar sit in the shower with you, it'll melt while you shampoo :)

Skin
We're gonna get a little personal here so hold on. Just kidding...kinda. I get little bumps on the upper part of my arms. No big deal, really, but once I exfoliate them and use CO as a moisturizer, all is well in the world. Okay, that's a little dramatic. You essentially could just slather yourself in CO if you want to go big and it would do nothing but benefit you :) If you're into essential oils, mix up some CO, sugar, and an oil of your choice for that scrub I mentioned earlier!

Digestion/Fat Burner
Let's be honest, CO is not tasty by itself, at least not in my opinion. So, I put it in my coffee. It requires a tad bit more time in the morning. What I'm saying is: I don't do it every day. I'll put a spoonful of CO, my creamer, and coffee into our Ninja and blend it all up. I've tried not blending it and the CO sits on top of the coffee. No bueno. Try it, it's a thumbs up!

Oil Pulling
Okay, this isn't something that I do everyday either, but when I have done it, I can tell a difference. However, if you're in a situation where you need an excuse not to talk for 20 minutes, here it is. You can do this morning & night or like me, just at night. Before going to bed, I'll place a tablespoon amount of CO in my mouth and "slosh" it around for 20 minutes. **DO NOT swallow this! This will remove bacteria from your mouth as well as being a natural teeth-whitener. After 20 minutes, spit it out (in a trashcan because it was harden and clog your sink pipes) and then brush your teeth. Tell me you don't see a difference ;)

**Brooklynn has never had a bad case of diaper rash, but I've read that a lot of mommies will use CO as a natural diaper rash remedy and have had great luck with it!

**I buy my CO from Aldi. But you can really find it anywhere. Be sure to buy the ORGANIC COLD-PRESSED, UNREFINED Coconut Oil!

Our Weekend

Husband was out of town Friday & Saturday so I tagged along with some of the fam all weekend. Friday we spent the morning at the gym, ran an errand, and came home to eat lunch & take naps before going to grab coffee and spend the evening downtown. Brooklynn had a blast and wore herself out (<--this is a rare occasion) running around, playing in the water falls, and chasing after all the dogs.

Saturday we spent the first part of the day at the pool. Brooklynn is getting more used to the water (but she really just prefers to eat) and also her first scraped knee. She's a trooper. Didn't bother her at all. Husband came home from Myrtle and we went to dinner to celebrate his return. Yes, he was gone for two days & yes, it felt like 7.

Saturday night when the Hubs got home from his trip, we went to dinner and grabbed some Italian Ice afterwards, hit the grocery store and called it a night! Sunday consisted of church, running around some with my sister, hanging out at VBS for a bit then wrapping up the night at the parents. Hope you enjoyed your weekend! Now to spend our Monday celebrating the birthday guy! Ya'll go wish my husband a Happy 27th! He's only my age for a short while ;)

Our Weekend

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! I woke up this morning feeling wiped.out. We did a tour of churches this past Tuesday-Thursday where we sat down with the student ministry teams at FBC Nashville, Longhollow Baptist, and Biltmore Baptist (and got no sleep) then came back to a pretty busy weekend and got no more sleep. Haha.

Thursday we got in from our road trip late afternoon and went to pick up Brooklynn from my parents house and then went to see some of our students graduate! Then, Friday, we had a leisurely morning with a walk around the neighborhood and then set out to do some errands.

Saturday we took a morning walk again followed by running more "church errands" as I like to refer to them as and then as a treat for Brooklynn hanging in their with us through the Walmart madness, she got Rita's ;) We then met up with some family to celebrate my BIL's Spiritual Birthday at a restaurant nearby! It's always so funny when you tell people it's your Spiritual Birthday because they either, 90% of the time, look at you like your involved in cult activity, or the other 10% look at you like "ohhh okay...that's sweet..." Well, our waitress Saturday said, "That's awesome, I'm 3!!" That was super neat!

 

Saturday night we went back and hung out at the parents until fairly late (late as in 9PM when you have a little one).

Sunday we worshipped then had our student ministry leaders party. Ironically, it was a year ago yesterday that we packed up the U-Haul and made the trek back to SC and I will say this - God is faithful. He was faithful in bringing us back "home" & He was faithful in providing us with the best team on the planet ... and I believe that with my whole heart. These people that we get to serve with are the cream.of.the.crop and they would do anything for our family, our church family, and those students that they love on unconditionally. The least we can do for them is to give them some food and a pool and have them go at it.

Happy Monday!

One Year!

Today's a great day. Shockingly enough, too, because it's Monday. Today marks one whole year that we packed up the U-Haul and moved back to SC! And to prove His faithfulness, He has done some remarkable things in the life of Alive. At Alive, we infact, are all about numbers. Jesus was all about numbers. Numbers are very significant in scripture. Numbers portray His goodness so here are some from the past year.

10 Students became ALIVE in CHRIST

7 Baptized

232 New Guests

107 Average Attendance! 

74 Students are heading to Alive Summer Camp with 26 Adults